Just a Dream
by theyHAUNTme
Summary: When Bella awakes from a one-month coma, she's in for the surprise of her life - everybody thinks she's crazy!


**Just a Dream**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters, I'm just playing with them

**Spoilers:** Anything from the books are fair game.

**Summary:** When Bella awakes from a one-month coma, she's in for the surprise of her life. Everybody thinks she's crazy! Bella/Edward Alternate Universe

**A/N:** I got the idea from my mom...we were having a conversation in the car and she mentioned this idea to me.

* * *

I heard the worried voices of Renée and Charlie in the background. Why were they worried? And where was I? The last thing I remembered was that Edward was driving me home. I had been so tired that I think I fell asleep. But this wasn't my bed. This bed was lumpy and uncomfortable. The sheets were scratchy. I wasn't in my clothes either...I was in some sort of papery material. It finally dawned on me that I was in the hospital. Oh my God...Edward must've crashed. I always told him he drove too fast. He must have finally wrecked his shiny silver Volvo...he probably walked away unscathed, but it wound me up in the hospital. But if that were true, why didn't I hear him. I didn't even sense his presence here. I mustered up my strength to open my eyes. I looked around wildly for him, but found him nowhere. That was strange.

"Oh, Bella!"

Before I knew it, a pair of arms were around me. I smelled the familiar scent of my mother's perfume. My chest ached, as did my ribs, and I gasped in pain. Renée apologized and released me from her grip. Charlie was at my side, relief across his exhausted face. And yet I could see Edward nowhere. He would be beside himself with worry...he should be here. When James attacked me, he was sitting beside me the whole time, never leaving my side. Something was not right.

"Mom, Dad," I croaked out.

"Oh, honey," Charlie said, holding out a cup of water, "have a drink."

I sucked some water through the straw and it soothed my parched throat. Now that that was cleared up, I wanted some answers. But before I could get my question out, Renée murmured, "Oh, honey, we were so worried. You've been in a coma for over a month! The doctors told us there was no chance, and yet here you are! Thank God you're okay!"

Ugh! Would nobody listen to me?! Where the hell was Edward? What the hell was going on? Somebody needed to give me some answers, NOW!

"Where's Edward?" I whispered out quickly.

Both Renée and Charlie furrowed their brows in confusion. Had they not heard me properly. I was about to re-ask my question when Charlie said, "Edward? Honey, who's Edward?"

I felt as if my breath got knocked out of me. My chest constricted tightly. I couldn't breathe. My head was spinning. My heart was accelerating. Did they lose their memory or something?

"Edward...where is he?" I managed to gasp out.

Renée looked at Charlie with concern. Concern flooded into Charlie's eyes as well as he turned to face me.

"Bella, sweetheart, can you tell me the year? How old are you?"

They thought I was crazy? Or did they think I had amnesia?

"It's 2005," I answered, confusion coating my words. "I'm seventeen."

Charlie's mouth dropped open, and Renée audibly cried out. Tears filled my mother's eyes as she bit her thumb nail. Well, judging from their reaction, my answer was not right. Okay, that was not a good sign. But if I was wrong...what year _was_ it? How old _was_ I?

"Honey, it's 2006," Charlie whispered out in a choked voice. "You're eighteen!"

All of a sudden, my world seemed to crash down on me. How could I be _eighteen_? Well, granted, seventeen and eighteen were fairly close to the same age, but...No, I was seventeen! I was in a hospital in Forks! Carlisle should be here...I wanted to talk to him!

"Where's Carlisle?" I asked. "I want to speak with him!"

If I thought my parents were concerned now, they were utterly _terrified_!

"Who's Carlisle?" Renée asked. "Bella, honey, you're scaring me. You're in a hospital in Phoenix. You were in a car crash...you hit your head really hard. You may have amnesia."

"No!" I cried. "I live with Charlie in Forks! I'm a Junior at Forks High School! I'm dating Edward Cullen!"

Both of my parents' faces turned white. Whiter than I'd seen any of the Cullen's. This could not be happening! What, were they saying I had _dreamed_ all of this? No, that was silly! I couldn't have! Everything was so real. But before I could complain, a doctor stepped into the room. He asked me who I was, how old I was, the year, where I living, and everything my parents asked. I told him the same thing. He seemed concerned as well, and stepped out into the hallway to make a phone call. He entered and asked to see my parents out in the hallway.

"We'll be right back, honey," Charlie said.

Renée kissed my cheek and murmured, "We'll get this straightened out, honey...don't you worry about it."

But I _was_ worrying. My parents are acting as if I'm crazy. They're telling me that my beloved Edward doesn't exist. But he has to! And besides, how the hell could I fit a year in just a month while I was in the coma? It didn't make sense. I curled up into a ball and wrapped my arms around myself. I felt like I was going to shatter into a million pieces. I hoped I was dreaming at this moment.

I stared at the wall for the majority of the day. I refused to speak to my parents, or to even _look_ at them. I refused to eat, or sleep, or even move. I just stared at the wall. I imagined Edward's gorgeous face, and his adorable, crooked, half-smile. I refused to think I had imagined that...I wasn't creative enough to imagine that. I remembered all of the smiling faces of every one of the Cullens. I saw all of the faces of my friends in Forks. I saw the faces of James, Laurent, and Victoria. I saw Phil's face when he married my mother. Speaking of Phil, where was he? Did I make him up too? Impossible...these people were so perfectly constructed that it was impossible for me to create them all.

"Bella?"

This was a new voice. I hadn't heard anybody enter. Was I hearing voices now too? Grudgingly, I turned around to face this new person. He was another doctor, but he didn't work at the hospital. Probably a psychiatrist. He was dressed in a crisp, clean suit. He smiled warmly as he approached me. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. He murmured something softly to my parents. They left the room and I was alone with him.

"Hello Bella," he said warmly. He spoke slowly, as if speaking to a small child or to a mentally handicapped person. It irritated me. "I'm Doctor Hughes. How are you feeling."

Hmph. That was my response. He wasn't going to get me to break down that easily. I crossed my arms childishly across my chest and glared at him. It didn't seem to bother him that I was uncooperative. He kept talking.

"So, Bella, tell me about Edward," he said gently. That perked me up slightly. "What's he like?"

"He's perfect," I murmured. And a vampire, but I couldn't tell this to a psychiatrist. "His skin is pale white. He's fast and strong. He's very selfless and kind and gentle and sincere and loving and he's everything I could ever ask for. I love him very much."

"How old is he?"

"He's a Junior, too," I answered cautiously. I couldn't tell the doctor his age. Technically, he was over 100, but I wasn't lying when I said he was in the same grade as me.

"Hmm," he whispered, and I thought I heard him say the word 'interesting'. "And Carlisle...what is he like?"

"Same as Edward," I said. "But I'm not in love with him...he's married to Esme. Edward is one of their foster sons."

Crap...I said too much.

"Tell me about Esme," he prompted. "And the rest of their foster children. Tell me about them."

I sighed as I went on to explain each member of the Cullens. I was well aware that the doctor was taking notes as I spoke. He eventually asked me to explain my life to him.

"Well, Renée divorced Charlie when I was like four or something," I answered. "She took me down to Arizona. I would visit Charlie for a few weeks every summer. But then my mom remarried to a guy named Phil."

Judging by his reaction, Phil didn't exist either. Crap...I was in major trouble.

"Anyways, Phil plays minor league baseball so Renée wanted to spend time with him, but she felt guilty for leaving me alone," I continued quickly. "So, I decided to move to Forks with Charlie. The first day of school I made some friends. But then I got to my Biology class and Edward was there. He was so tense and looked mad, so I thought he hated me. We then worked it out and began dating."

I recounted my time with Edward in detail - except for the facts about the vampires - to Doctor Hughes. He wrote everything down and listened to me. At the end of my story - which is what it was to him, a story - I closed my eyes and could picture Edward perfectly. It was as if somebody had burned his image into my retinas. My heart ached at the thought that I'd imagined the whole thing. His lips felt so real against my skin. I could still taste his scent on my tongue. His smell still lingered in my nostrils. The icy hardness of his marble skin was still very vivid. This couldn't be happening.

After he left, I curled back up and began to cry. I should have known better. It was too good to be true. My heart throbbed as realization finally dawned on me. Edward didn't exist. I was crazy. I would never see him again, or feel him, or taste him, or smell him, or touch him. He was not here. I had set myself up for this...but it had all been so REAL! And yet, none of it matters, because everybody thinks I'm crazy. But I guess I'll just go on. I'll just tuck the memories deep away and take them out when I'm alone. I would never mention this to anybody. I would just pretend that they didn't exist. I would only allow myself to replay my pleasant memories when I was asleep or just alone.

But that knowledge didn't ease the aching I felt in my heart. The tears cascaded heavily down my cheeks as I sobbed. Only one person could cure this kind of hurt...

...But he doesn't exist.

* * *

**A/N 2:** So, what did you think? Yes, this is extremely far-fetched and would never happen, but I had to get this idea out of my head.


End file.
